Protective factors associated with positive mental health in traditional and nontraditional Black students.

Protective factors associated with positive mental health in traditional and nontraditional Black students. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2019 Mar 28;: Authors: Mushonga DR, Henneberger AK Abstract Black students have higher levels of psychological distress compared with other students, in part to racism and discrimination; however, help-seeking remains low. As a result, most research has been deficit-based focusing on mental illness, which provides an incomplete state of their mental health. Therefore, very little is known about positive mental health (PMH), which is composed of social, emotional, and psychological well-being. To better understand their complete state of mental health, this study examined variations in levels of PMH among 235 Black traditional (ages 18 to 25) and nontraditional (ages 26+) college students attending historically Black colleges and universities and predominantly White institutions, in addition to identifying protective mechanisms promoting flourishing within these subgroups. The sample included 156 traditional college students (Mage = 20.88, SD = 2.12; 83% female) and 79 nontraditional college students (Mage = 36.06, SD = 36.1; 80% female). Approximately 54.4% of nontraditional students were flourishing compared with 43.6% of traditional students who were moderately mentally healthy. No significant differences were found in PMH among Black students attending historically Black colleges and universities and pr...
Source: The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Am J Orthopsychiatry Source Type: research